According to the Press and Journal, scientists are studying ways of breeding and harvesting tuna on a commercial scale to meet the high demand for the fish.

The scientists, from Stirling and Strathclyde, are taking part in a £250,000 pilot project in a laboratory in Fort William, where they will try to breed a tuna that is common in UK waters, reports the news organisation.

The European Fisheries Fund project will take place this summer at the Ardtoe marine laboratory. If successful, the first farm could open by 2011.

Alex Muhlholzl, managing director of Oceanic Tuna Ltd, which is leading the project, believes the demand for sustainable tuna is huge.